My Story

My Story

I grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota, about an hour from the Iowa border. I had an amazing childhood, and I have a family (mother, father and brother) that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Physically, there is nothing major that stands out to me from my early childhood, except for the fact that I was always tired. I was the child who would be sleeping on the couch at family gatherings (I have a huge extended family – mostly boys – which rocks by the way) while the rest of the cousins were running around into the wee hours. My Godfather, Jack, used to always say, “Sleepin’ again?!”

In junior high I was a gymnast; in high school an ice hockey goalie. I was good, not great, at both. Back then, I ran a 14-minute mile. I enjoyed “sport,” but being physically active was a chore. It always drained me of my energy too much, and thus, I was never highly athletic.

Once college came, things took a turn and headed south. Early in my freshman year, I got very ill. I got the flu and tonsillitis so badly that I was out for nearly two weeks. I couldn’t get myself to the doctor or answer Mother’s calls or anything. I eventually found myself in urgent care, took a round of antibiotics and life continued on.

At this point in my life, the vicious cycle really began. That first year of college I lived alone in a dorm room. In hindsight, I am so thankful for that. I struggled for the first major time in my life with digestive issues. Most days, my dorm room would smell of rotten eggs so badly that even I became depressed living in it. I would alternate between bloat/gas and everything running straight through me. I also gained 10-15 pounds that year, and I struggled with a whole host of other things.

After my freshman year, I went home for the summer and went on Weight Watchers (but by this time, I was no stranger to disordered eating). I was eating low calorie, low-fat foods like they were going out of style.

I was sure I had found my “cure.”

After all, I lost all the weight I had gained, and I returned to my sophomore year hearing, “Wow, you’re so skinny.”

Throughout my sophomore and junior years of college, I continued on the yo-yo road and an unhealthy lifestyle. Simultaneously, my gut began getting worse. I was sick more and more often. I had tonsillitis, pharyngitis or strep throat chronically during my junior year. I was always at the hospital. I was, literally, on antibiotics every single month. My doctors decided a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy was necessary.

By the time my tonsils and adenoids came out (the summer before my senior year of college), they were rotted. The surgeon told my mom that there were so many scars and infections that I barely had either one of them anymore. It took me awhile to recover, but once I did, I was sure I had found my “cure.”

Turns out that just because you fix one thing, doesn’t mean the underlying issues go away. In fact, in many ways I got worse.

It was only a couple weeks after my surgery when I drove back to Minneapolis to live a new “healthier lifestyle.” On the drive up, I noticed my tongue started feeling off. I called my mom and told her, “It feels like something is pulling my tongue and scraping it against my teeth.”

I began to see doctors and more doctors for this newly-developed mouth problem. They had no idea since everything looked completely normal. Without having any clue, they put me on Nystatin, which is an antibiotic to clear thrush. It didn’t get better. In fact, it got worse – much worse. Several months later, while at the dentist, he mentioned, “Perhaps you simply have an intolerance to food.”

I gave up hope that any doctor or dentist could help my mouth.

And yet, I never forgot what that dentist said. That dentist changed my world.

Life continued. My senior year of college ended. I was offered a job right out of college with a division of News Corporation in Los Angeles, California. I moved in August of 2005.

At this point, my tonsils and adenoids were gone, but I was a mess. I was stressed 24/7. I was broke. I missed home. I hated LA. I ate. And then I didn’t eat. I worked out. And then I didn’t work out. I was miserable in my corporate suit and nylon hose each day. My stomach pain was horrendous. Sometimes the bathroom wasn’t close enough; others, I could only wish a bathroom break would hit. All along, my mouth was on fire; talking was a chore.

And all of this, I never let anyone see.

I “met” Ryan (my husband) in December of 2005. I moved back to Minnesota in 2006. I struggled all along, but I was happy by then so fixing myself didn’t seem as imminent any longer. I would learn later in life (at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition) that healthy relationships like the one I had found with Ryan can make all the difference in healing or a lack thereof.

Early in our relationship, I decided to start taking some sort of action for me. Something in me provoked a 21-day detox in January of 2007. From January 1 – January 21, I did the first “detox” I had ever done in my life.

On days 1- 18, I was on autopilot.

On day 19, I felt worse than ever before.

On day 21, every single “problem” I ever had was gone.

On day 22, post detox, I went back to my “old life.”

On day 23, I was back to misery.

I knew then that there must be more to everything going on inside my body.

A few short months after that, Ryan found out that his job would move him to Northern California. He asked me to go with him, and for me, there was no other option, and together we went.

Almost as soon as we moved, I began digging into the mess that was, and I started a journey that would actually begin to change my life. (Because of this, California has changed my life forever.)

From 2007 through 2009 I:

saw an allergist who confirmed via scratch tests that I was not “allergic” to anything

attempted to work with that allergist on food intolerance, but was unsuccessful because she had no clue on elimination diets

went to a GI specialist who ordered an endoscopy and colonoscopy

through the colonoscopy, it was determined that I have Proctitis, which is a form of Colitis that affects the lowest part of the colon -> the rectum

took the GI’s advice that “food didn’t matter,” but suppositories and medication would help

quickly realized that suppositories and medication didn’t help, in fact, they made me worse so I QUIT all Colitis suppositories and medications forever

2009

In 2009, I found a nutritionist and I worked with her for several months. She gave me a lot of great tips, thoughts, and ideas, but my stomach was still a mess. After a few months of working with her, I stumbled upon the GAPS Diet. I brought it to her attention. She said it made sense, so we completely changed our direction.

Finally, it was the direction that would begin my real healing journey forever. (I stopped working with her shortly after because I was rapidly healing and she was moving.)

My world got turned upside down at that point. I became obsessed with healing myself via food and lifestyle vs. drugs and medication. I became obsessed with the gut and the entire digestive system. I became obsessed with knowing everything possible so I could heal myself for good this time.

2010 – 2012

I had another endoscopy in late spring of 2010. I was not really consuming gluten at the time and even still, the endoscopy showed that I still had severe inflammation in my upper digestive system. This told me that it wasn’t just the Colitis and lowest part affected, but everything. It scared me, so I got even more serious.

In 2011, I began studying at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I already knew so much about the digestive system, but I didn’t know enough about how the “lifestyle” component could help (or hurt) me. I was confident that a holistic school would show me the path.

And it did.

I graduated from the school in 2012 and began working as a Holistic Health Coach(and a damn good one at that -> I know what I’m talking about and I am the face of everyone I work with, not just another nutritionist, doctor or blogger spewing information they once heard).

2013

I progressed like never before…..until late 2013 when our first baby arrived. She was the greatest blessing in our lives. After a bumpy, lumpy infertility road, she made our lives complete, filling it with love and hope and all that is beautiful in this world.

But because she was a Preemie, and because we were totally unprepared, my health suffered. I spent the better portion of her first year with us running on 3-4 hours of sleep, caffeine and high stress.

Ultimately, I reversed most of the progress I had made.

2014

In late 2014, I put my foot down. I began working with Dr. Schweig at The California Institute for Functional Medicine. Immediately, I was diagnosed with a sluggish thyroid, severe adrenal fatigue, and advanced SIBO.

From that moment on, my life began to change (health wise) in brand new ways, and I got a new lease on life.

2017

Today I am committed to a Life Unprocessed. I no longer follow (because I don’t need to follow) any specific diet or rules. I have been able to break free from all of it, including disordered eating.

I am still 100% gluten free, but I don’t claim Paleo(just Paleo-ish!), GAPS, AIP protocol or anything else (even though I help clients navigate those lifestyles daily). I feed my body (and my family) with real food, real nutrition and I make it delicious!

I march to the beat of my own drum lifestyle.

I take two medications, which is a medication most Western doctors won’t prescribe; LDNand WP Thyroid. I have an insane amount of energy. I am up by 5 or 6 am every single day. I workout hard, but I rest harder. My mouth is typically only minimally irritated if irritated at all. And as of March in 2017, my SIBO is almost completely gone!

It has been a very long journey, and I know I’m in it for the long haul.

It is my PASSION, my OBSESSION to spread every single little bit of knowledge I have and have lived to women and people everywhere. If I can cut misery out of someone’s life in a fraction of the time it took me to finally get it, then this journey certainly has been worth it.

I am going to be brave forever, and I want to take you along with me to discover that….

When gravel roads are all you’ve ever known, you learn to find beauty in the dust.

Reader Interactions

Comments

I happened to stumbled upon your blog today while I was doing research on how to heal IBS holistically and safe to say I am relieved to have finally found someone that really knows and has faced the challenge of always feeling sick. Today I got suddenly sick after dinner no idea why it was homemade ham and potato soup fallowed by some local hormone free chocolate milk, I figured I would be safe eating this but I wasn’t, and as I was sitting sick my boyfriend next to meal napping peacefully completely unfazed from the dinner we had just shared I thought back and realized I honestly can remember the last time I was not sick at least once for a full week, which is just depressing. I have been since at least 1-4 days a week for the last 4 almost 5 years. I have recently started seeing a therapist which has taken me from being sick about 50% of the time to about 20%, but I really want to just feel better. Reading your story is like looking back on my life, always tired, always sick, aches and pains all the time, it has gotten to the point where I am so physically exhausted that just doing house work takes all the energy I have. In addition to feeling like crap all the time I am also about 20-30 lbs over weight, I have tried everything in my power to lose weight with absolutely no results the harder I try the more weight I gain.

I really want to get better, I have been tested for celiacs and was negative and my doctor basically said deal with it and that was the end of it. I try to eat healthy but as a college student living with a boyfriend who can eat anything and look and feel great it is impossible. He doesn’t want to see me sick but he also doesn’t want to be healthy and clean with me, I’m not sure what to do but I am ready to chance be healthy, look good, feel good I don’t honestly think I can take being sick anymore. Please help what do I need to do to get him on my side and be healthy for the first time in years?!

I just stumbled across your blog, as I have been tirelessly trying to find answers to my IBS struggles. Your story could not be more similar to mine. I grew up playing sports, but always super tired and worn down. Even, ran blood tests to see if I was anemic. I went away to college and my freshman year, I got extremely sick and lived in my dorm alone too, just trying to figure out what was happening. After endoscopies, blood work, and other tests; the doctors concluded that I had IBS. I felt so powerless to be diagnosed with something that I felt had no cure, and at just the age of 18. I am 21 now, and IBS has entirely brought Anxiety/depression into my life and each day I continue to try to find answers. People like you give me hope, to know that I am not alone! I am so excited to search more on your site, and read your book. You mentioned being a Holistic Health Coach, do you coach people out of your area? I would be very interested if you do! Thank you for being a fighter and paving the way for so many of us. I can’t wait to learn more about what has worked for you!

Through out my life, the majority of my digestive system consisted of cronic constipation with 4-5 bouts of extreme and excruciatingly painful diarrhea per year. Aproximately 15 years ago that changed from a few times a year to a couple times a week and then to every meal. It got so bad that I basically stopped eating as it would occur before I could even finish a meal.
I have had a number of Colonoscopies and Upper GI test, all saying that there was nothing wrong and everything looked good. I had my Gallbladder checked, again all was fine. Then 2 years ago I started working with a new physician who also deals with hollistic care. She said that for over 30 years I had been starving my body and was void of having any sort of enzymes in my system which is needed to break down food. I started taking enzyme suppliments, eating non processed foods, avoiding gluten and taking eating yogurt with probiotics. It started to help and for about 6 months I seemed to have a normal system without any more attachs. Then recently things have started to go back to the old ways, just not as severe and the bouts aren’t as frequent. The stomach cramps have become just a part of my daily life as is the bloating. It has put a huge damper on my living life. Other than going to work (which has also been effected more than I would like) I tend to hybernate at home where I can be close to the restroom. I guess it’s a good thing that I live alone, as I am not much fun. When I do have to travel, the first thing I pack is the anti anxiety pills and the Imodium.
If you have any suggestions or know of any specialist that I might contact to help me to enjoy the last half of my life it would greatly be appreciated. I have grandchildren that I would love to take on trips and have fun with, and right now I am unable to without worring about having embarrasing accidents.
Thank you,

I stumbled upon your blog today as I was researching about digestive issues. I have struggled with digestion issues and constipation for as long as I can remember. I feel as though my food digests a lot slower than average people and constantly have that full feeling even after eating only small meals. I live with constant feeling of bloating and its miserable. I maintain a healthy lifestyle and am very active working out at least 5x per week. I have often used magnesium citrate to relieve my constipation but I am so tired of having to fix this problem with laxatives. Taking these on a regular basis can’t be good for your health. I want to do something and figure out the underlying issues. Wondering if I should schedule an endoscopy or a colonoscopy. Is this a route I should take at this point?

Hi Sarah,
I am so happy to have come across your blog today and so happy everything worked out for you. I am struggling with food allergies myself, and although I am so much better after giving up gluten, I am still not 100% cured. I am hoping that following some of your suggestions can bring me to perfect health. It’s so good to hear you had a loving and supportive boyfriend who later became your husband. Unfortunately, all my food reactions and stomach issues and frustration I felt over it all was too much for my boyfriend to handle. It’s good to see there are still some men out there who are willing to support the woman they love no matter what health issues she may have. I hope to find one. Thanks for sharing your story and for helping me see there is hope.

I have been searching for information on UC for so long…I get very little help from my current GI dr and need help in navigating this new, painful and frustrating world😔 I cannot wait to dive more into your blog…funny how life changes, from reading Cosmo on the beach, I am now researching UC in the hotel room while my family is swimming at the beach😏

Hi, reading your story was a little like thinking back to my journey and current life. I was at the top of my health, very athletic, in good shape, etc. when I had a routine appendectomy that seemed to precipitate multiple health problems, including a much delayed diagnosis of gastroparesis 1+ years ago. Back in graduate school, I had some disordered eating patterns that crop up from time to time, and like you, I am trying to eat very clean and unprocessed foods. I also, along with my husband, am in the process of adopting, though through a private agency, and not through the foster care system. Reading your story is inspirational. I have a lot of up and down days with my chronic GI issues but have come a long way from 2 years ago (today actually!) when I had my first feeding tube placed…I vowed after the last one came out that I would never have to return to that again, and I have not…

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Hello, I'm Sarah

My name is Sarah Kay Hoffman. I am a child of God who has an amazing husband + 3 little ones I get to call my own. My goal is to inspire through the road I've traveled, and stories I tell. Thank you for joining this journey.